Orange Hell and Hyposprays
by Original Dinner Plate
Summary: Doctor McCoy is used to disturbances on the Enterprise, but what he is not used to is these disturbances being caused by his Head Nurse.


**Disclaimer**: I donut own **_Star Trek_**.

- 

**C**hristine Chapel.

Head Nurse.

Organized.

Efficient.

Caffeinated.

Medicated.

Ready to arrange files, treat small injuries and dish out good advice and tame grumpy doctors! All in good days work, of course.

That is until Christine's happy-vitamins do what they're not supposed to. When, instead of keeping her mild nervous ticks at bay, they backfire terribly and all known side effects become apparent. Dry mouth, itchy palms and paranoia coupled with special sense perception and detailed hallucinations. Plus a few other ones that Christine hadn't had time to remember.

The effects come slowly, but Christine is not aware or is too busy to pay attention to the odd feelings sweeping over her. She has to be in sickbay when this happens, of course, working on something (or so she thinks) and being in the presence of more than one patient and half of the nurse staff.

It is just her luck, _of course_.

She first realizes something may be wrong when a nurse taps her on the shoulder, asking why she's been staring at a blank PADD for the past fifteen minutes with such interest. The nurse becomes even more worried when it takes Nurse Chapel a really long time to set it down, her eyes dilated and mouth agape.

"Nurse Chapel, are you alright?" she asks worriedly, bringing notice to the other nurses.

Christine tilts her head and blinks, her attention carried to the loose strand of hair on the other girl's tight bun. She imagines seeing sugar ants crawling along it, but imagination turns into reality and Christine is aware that Nurse Perkins may be in serious danger.

Without hesitation and without the previous slow reflexes, she grabs a folder and begins swatting at the girl's head.

"No it's okay, Nurse, we can't let them get into your ears!" Christine responds airily when Nurse Perkins begins screaming and attempts to deflect the blows.

Christine hardly notices when soft hands take her by the arms, but when she does she soon realizes what they intend to do! So she strikes back, knocking hyposprays containing tranquilizers out of their hands.

She needs to flee. Nobody seems to understand the real danger on the ship that she has uncovered. She won't be able to protect anyone if she doesn't have a phaser though, so with skill and swift fingers she's able to retrieve one from a locker while the nurses are still down.

She then runs through the halls, checking her own hair by ruffling it with sloppy fingers. While doing this she accidentally knocks down an ensign who seems to be half her size.

She's careful not step on him, however she is unsuccessful and ends up falling and sitting on the poor boy's head. He wails and runs away as far and quick as he can.

But she must move on, too, and she must get to the captain.

She stops, though, when the hideous orange of the carpet starts to move. She always hated this floor, it often reminded of her cat puke and she was usually careful to keep her gaze straight ahead when walking on it.

But not this time, no, this carpet decides it won't be ignored.

The orange color begins wrapping itself around her ankles, little arms of barfy synthetic fibers reaching out with love and childlike hurt. It would almost warm her heart had she not had to clean up orange cat puke her entire childhood, forever ruining the color for her. Also, she had no mothering instinct towards carpet.

It had to be destroyed.

Christine fires her phaser, adjusted to the kill setting, and revels in the sight of fire consuming a small patch, but it isn't enough! Damn fire resistance! This simply would not do.

Christine begins firing everywhere, the orange rug child crying in horror and melting under her boot, sticking to it like a ooey gooey chewing gum. Satanic, ooey gooey chewing gum from armpits of orange hell.

And then she spots a different kind of devil, a green-blooded one!

Spock has emerged from a corner and seems surprised but the only indication of this is the rising of a too-nicely shaped upturned, Vulcan brow! Yes, there was a time when she would have liked to get lost in those daring brows of logic and Vulcan-y-ness. But not anymore! Spock was a smart fellow and she fancied those kinds, but Christine learned long ago that those types tended towards selfishness!

But it was strange, she decided, that his eyebrows seemed more kept than her own.

This was a fleeting thought, however, because Christine was startled to find that Spock had somehow appeared closer now. His hand was reaching towards her and she couldn't help but be fascinated by it.

This was her undoing, she realized, as the charred barfy oranges and blues and greys swirled around into a pit of darkness and her neck hurt a little bit, the phaser slipping from her numb fingers. _Damn it_.

- 

**D**octor McCoy is used to disturbances on the Enterprise, but what he is not used to is these disturbances being caused by his Head Nurse.

And while everyone on this ship has been under some kind of influence at one time or another, he still doesn't expect to learn that Christine Chapel has gone bananas and has tried to kill several people. Or that she has grabbed a phaser and is shooting indiscriminately in the hallways.

However, he is very grateful to a certain green-blooded individual for bringing in a passed-out Chapel who looks quite angelic even with mussed hair and clothes.

He hears an ensign behind him squeak in terror (one of her victims, he assumes) as she's carried in. The poor boy tries to make his escape, but McCoy just grabs him by the collar and throws him to one of the other nurses who look to be as equally frightened.

He imagines that poor Christine is going to be mortified when she comes to, but he figures this may be a goodtime to distract her and tell her how pretty he thinks she is and how he'd like to have a drink with her.

Psychotic episodes or not, he stills like his Head Nurse. 

_**~FIN~**_


End file.
